While his friends’ paths into serious collecting have been fairly diverse, GaryG started with Jaeger-LeCoultre, which opened his eyes to the world of fine watchmaking and served as the foundation for his ongoing fascination with horology. Take a look at Gary’s history collecting fascinating timepieces by this revered Swiss brand.
In 2006 GaryG spotted two objects of desire at a California dealer: Vianney Halter’s dramatic Antiqua and Contemporaine timepieces. They were out of his reach, but in 2007 he found a Contemporaine in white gold offered at a price that was about one-third its original retail value on eBay. What could possibly go wrong?
How time flies! It seems like only yesterday that GaryG penned an article about wristshots. But that was back in 2015. And in 2017 that he posted thoughts and images on how to – and how not to – take watch photographs for sharing. It seemed to Gary that it’s about time for an update on both – as while some things remain the same, much has changed.
“I have no secrets as past watchmakers had. There are graveyards full of secrets and that’s enough.” – Philippe Dufour, 2014
This is the story of the final watch – or, truthfully, pair of watches – that GaryG happened upon at a Sotheby’s auction in late 2017 and felt that he just had to have: two 1970s prototype pieces made by Jaeger-LeCoultre. But why “unsalable”?
Any time is an appropriate time to gift a watch lover with a book containing well-written words and beautiful photos of watches. At Quill & Pad we love reading books as much as we love writing them (on occasion). Here Elizabeth Doerr shares a selection of inspiring books we have reviewed, suitable for gifting or reading at any time of year. But especially this time of year!
For watch lovers, the name “Paul Newman” is associated first and foremost with Rolex, and in particular with a subset of that brand’s Daytona watches with specific dial characteristics, including a recessed outer seconds track and subdials that feature block-shaped hash marks and Art Deco-style Arabic numerals. But what does it mean for these references on the vintage market?
If you like watches at all, you have certainly seen wristshots and perhaps you have even posted a few of your own. Like the selfie, wristshots seem to be ubiquitous these days. But where did wristshots come from, why do they exist, and what are the pitfalls to look out for? GaryG shares a few tips on what he has learned works and what doesn’t.
A watch strap is the ubiquitous “accessory” to a wristwatch that can completely change a person’s feeling about said timepiece. A strap is the single most functional component on a wristwatch that you interact with. Joshua Munchow takes a closer look at why that is true.
Most will agree that re-painting a dial is a big no-no. Vintage pieces with re-painted dials can be had for a steal as they are difficult to shift and mostly unwanted. But not all dial restorations are created equal, and we do encounter varying degrees of “upgrades.” Some of these upgrades are purposeful deception, while others are not. Here is what one watchmaker feels about the subject.